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The digital movement continues to have an enormous impact on outbound marketing strategies, including trade shows, events and conventions. Previously, exhibitors used to only concern themselves with strategies for face-to-face interaction. Technology has now given marketing professionals the ability to reach their target audience simultaneously, manage their exhibit display booth effectively, and measure the success of their expo marketing more accurately. Get in sync and modernize your trade show displays with these 5 digital trends for trade shows:

Build Hype Online

Yes, the actual trade show booth design is the main draw, and there is no denying that building strong hype leading up to the event will create awareness and elevate the experience for attendees. Exhibitors now never fail to inform their target audience of their own participation through personalized email marketing, appropriate website banner advertising, traditional press releases and definitely through social media outlets. For B2B social media marketing, your top performing channels will usually be Linkedin and Twitter. However, Facebook and Instagram are now trending upwards as effective B2B marketing outlets with image and video marketing quickly becoming as equally important as blogging and other forms of traditional digital marketing. B2B promotional video marketing (as long as the content makes sense for your audience) has become very popular in the past 2 years. For a more extensive approach, exhibitors can tap into the resources of vendors who specialise in face-to-face marketing or undertake online marketing themselves through the convenient use of social media management suites.

Tech Accessories as Promotional Products

Door gifts for attendees are a staple in trade show marketing trends. The power of leaving attendees with functional mementos is widely recognised and utilised, and tech accessories seem like the perfect choice. It could be something as simple as a plastic cable winder or a power bank. The trick lies in finding the right product that fits the brand and message you want to bring across to the recipient. On the whole though, well-made modern tech products are seen as inherently valuable and useful by most, thus making them a viable choice.

Cell Phone Charging Stations/Kiosks

With cell phones come the constant need to keep them full of power at all times. Portable cell phone charging trade show kiosks have thus made a much needed emergence in the trade show repertoire. Attendees will heave a sigh of relief when a charging kiosk comes to the rescue just as their phone’s or tablet’s battery is running out. If your branding is all over the display booth kiosk, the attendee could positively associate your brand as a helpful and ever-ready one. They might even refer their friends or colleagues to your life-saving charging station, which in turn means more visitors to your exhibit. Cell phone charging stations are now available as portable kiosks, meeting tables and branded coffee tables.

Some aluminum and laminate modular kiosks can be utilized even in small booth spaces as an accessory combination to 10′ x 10′ Displays. Smart exhibitors understand the value of purchasing a portable display system that’s versatile and can seamlessly integrate into a standard display booth layout or can reconfigure or resize to create a fresh look for each exhibition. Modern versatility that modular expo hardware features, allows the exhibitor to easily setup a unique and engaging exhibit layout no matter the floor space size given to them.

Portable Cell Phone Charging Event Table

Custom Mobile Apps for Attendees

Another burgeoning trend brought about by cell phones are mobile apps built specifically for trade shows, expos and conventions, such as this customizable mobile event app from GuideBook. Exhibitors can provide event agendas, send push messages to and even gather live feedback from attendees on the trade show event. The versatility of mobile application programming means that the app can help you achieve specific targets and obtain the right information about your exhibit attendees. Apps are still considered a novelty, but can be an excellent way to engage and entertain your convention attendees.

Trade Show & Exhibitor Management Systems

Increasingly, trade show exhibit marketing managers have been searching for suitable I.T. systems that provide seamless exhibition management experiences. Currently, a host of event marketing, event management and lead retrieval solutions have emerged. Some notable providers of these Systems include CompuSystems, iLead and Pathable. These range from specialized one-function apps to multi-faceted systems that can raise efficiency and give helicopter views and information about the event, often in real-time.

Used the right way, these 5 tech trends can be powerful tools to interact and engage with attendees, sponsors and other stakeholders on a much deeper level. Give any one of these options a try for your next event or trade show and be prepared to see positive results!

It can take hours searching the internet locating valuable information on trade show marketing tips and what type of trade show display to invest in. Most of the time you will find the same information just disbursed on hundreds of marketing websites and blogs. This creative info graphic below gives you a lot of great information all on in one! For display purposes, you can quickly learn about the different sizes and layouts of trade show booth spaces along with what type of display will work in that booth space. Maybe you simply need a set of retractable banners stands, or possibly a fully custom modular display system. Take a moment to run through this quick read to help you save time and prepare you for your upcoming trade show.